Ready to Love
by LiRicNut
Summary: Jason is single! How will that effect Ric and Elizabeth's relationship? Please review!


Ric sighed and looked at the file Sonny gave him. He's been running around Port Charles all day doing errands for Sonny. He was getting ready to walk through the docks, but stopped when he heard a familiar giggle. He looked around the corner and saw Elizabeth and Jason walking from the other direction.  
  
"Admit that I beat you that time!" Elizbeth said playfully as she followed Jason down the steps towards the docks.  
  
"I'll admit that I LET you beat me," Jason answered back jokingly.  
  
Ric shook his head. The sight of those two together felt like a train had hit him. After Sonny fired Jason, Jason persuaded Sonny to take him back. When Courtney realized that the organization and Sonny were always going to be the first priority in Jason's life, she decided to leave Port Charles and go to an out-of state college. Elizabeth came back into the picture when she ran into Jason one night at Carly's club and saw Jason getting into a fight with a stranger for no apparent reason. She knew that he was hurting over Courtney's departure. She decided that it was time to set aside the grudge she's had on him and be there for him like he was for her years ago (when Lucky was gone). Since then, they have been close friends.  
  
Ric continued to listen in on the conversation. "Look, just because you cheat doesn't mean that you beat me, Elizabeth," Jason said with a big grin on his face.  
  
"I beat you in that game of pool fair and square." Elizabeth stretched out her hand. "Now pay up!"  
  
"You want it?" Jason took the ten-dollar bill out of his leather coat pocket and waved it above Elizabeth's head. "Come and get it."  
  
"You're on!" Elizabeth jumped up but Jason made sure that the money was out of her reach.  
  
They both continued playing this game for a couple of seconds. Elizabeth made one more giant leap but landed awkwardly on her feet and fell into Jason's arms. They both laughed nervously and stopped when they caught each other's eyes. Elizabeth looked in Jason's blue eyes. It's been a while since she has had the opportunity to look into them again. And the feeling of being in his arms again felt weird, but familiar, to her. For a split second, it felt like old times between those two.  
  
"You okay?" Jason asked still holding Elizabeth.  
  
"Uh.yeah. I'm fine." Elizabeth nodded her head. "You know me.I'm such a klutz."  
  
"Yeah." Jason muttered but wasn't really paying attention to their conversation because he was too focused on the fact that he was only two inches from Elizabeth's lips. Elizabeth was pretty much thinking the same thing. They both paused for a second, then Jason leaned over and gently pressed his lips against hers. Elizabeth opened her eyes, looked at Jason, and smiled. She realized that this kiss was about to change everything.  
  
******  
  
Ric walked up to the front entrance of Kelly's and looked at his watch. It was almost 2:00 in the morning and he was exhausted. He had just completed a last minute assignment from Sonny. Sonny had called him unexpectedly and needed Ric's help right away. Ric believed he had done a good job tonight and even thinks that this job gained him an ounce of trust from Sonny. He stopped in front of Kelly's to dig in his pocket for his keys. At the same time, he was staring into space and it was obvious that there was something else on his mind. In order to fulfill his job for Sonny, he had to cancel his plans with Elizabeth. In a way, he was relieved when he received Sonny's call. After seeing Elizabeth and Jason kissing on the docks the night before, he felt like he needed a distraction to avoid Elizabeth for a little while.  
  
Ric remembered calling Elizabeth that morning to cancel their plans. Elizabeth actually sounded disappointed, and this surprised him. 'Why would she be disappointed about not seeing me today? .What about Jason?' Despite of the brilliant work he did for Sonny today, he couldn't seem to brush Elizabeth's disappointed voice from his head. He felt like he had let her down and it was killing him. After experiencing an entire day of guilt, he decided to drop by her studio after leaving Sonny's penthouse. He wanted so badly to see her. He knocked lightly on her door and quickly regretted doing so. He was almost relieved that she didn't answer the door. He would have been so embarrassed to see a half-awakened Elizabeth woken up at 2:00 a.m. by HIM. And for what? Just to say "hi"? Ric shook his head and loosened his tie around his neck as he turned around to unlock the door.  
Ric opened the door and was in awe. It wasn't the typical Kelly's set-up he was used to seeing every night. The lights were off, but there was a glow that illuminated the room from the many lit candles dispersed everywhere. There was one table that was set up with a white table cloth, a small vase of roses, and more candles. He looked up and saw Elizabeth sitting at the counter with her head resting on top of her folded arms. She was sound asleep.  
  
He put down his brief case and took off his coat. He walked quietly up to Elizabeth and paused briefly to admire her for a second. He looked at her and was so intrigued by her. The candlelight gently brushed her face and there was a piece of hair resting on her cheek. She was so beautiful that it left him breathless. Ric lightly brushed the hair from Elizabeth's cheek with the tips of his fingers. His heart stopped when he saw her open her eyes and look at him. Even in the dim light, her eyes just seemed to sparkle. He was mesmerized by them and felt like he can spend the entire evening just gazing into them if he was given the chance. "Hey," he whispered to her.  
  
Elizabeth smiled. She was beginning to worry earlier that night when Ric didn't come home. At that moment, she realized that every minute was worth waiting for when she heard Ric's voice. "Hey," she said back. She stood up and brushed her hair from her face and scooped it behind her ears. "It sounded like Sonny's assignment was going to take all day. I figured you wouldn't have time to eat. So.I made some dinner to greet you when you got back." She started to feel her cheeks getting warm. "um.I also thought it would be a good excuse for me to use to be able to spend some time with you."  
  
"Dinner would be great. Thank you so much for doing this," Ric replied still gazing in her eyes.  
  
"My pleasure," Elizabeth answered back. She was also looking into Ric's eyes. For a moment, the two couldn't break eye contact from each other. Elizabeth was the first to realize this and she quickly shook her head and looked away as she snapped back into reality. "Let me warm up the food in the kitchen and I'll bring it out."  
  
There wasn't much talking once they both started eating. Elizabeth constantly looked up from her food and across the table throughout dinner. It took a few minutes until Ric noticed that she was looking at him. His eyes met with hers and she smiled at him.  
  
He held his fork up mid air and finished swallowing his food. "What?"  
  
Elizabeth put her fork down and rested her arms on the table. "If I ask you a question.will you tell me the truth?" she asked flirtatiously. . Ric also put his fork down, sat back on his chair, and crossed his arms. He smiled slightly and wondered what challenging question would be thrown towards him this time. "Depends on the question."  
  
Elizabeth's playful tone had calmed down by the time she started to ask her question. "How do feel about me?"  
  
Ric raised his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting that question. Out of habit, his brain switched to "attorney mode" as he approached the question. He always tended to answer the question without REALLY answering the question. "Well.I think I feel like I'm sitting across the table from the sweetest girl in the world because she cooked this incredible dinner for me." With that said, he smiled at her, picked up his plate, and stood up. He looked at Elizabeth's food on her plate that was obviously played with and uneaten. "I'm going to assume you're finished also?" He picked up her plate and started to walk towards the counter. "You cooked the meal, so I don't mind doing the dishes."  
  
Elizabeth smiled because she knew Ric was going to avoid her question. She quickly stood up and walked towards Ric. She stopped him, took the plates from him, and placed them on the counter. "Ric. I'm not asking you about your past and I'm not asking you about your job with Sonny because I know that talking about those two topics with me makes you feel uncomfortable," she said understandingly. "I'm just asking you how you feel about me. I just need to know where we stand with each other, that's all."  
  
Ric sighed. She had a good point. She had a right to ask that question. It's just that he wasn't sure if she was ready to hear his answer. How did he feel about her? Where should he start? He still decided to avoid the question but have some kind of response to her comment. "I understand that people need time before getting into a serious relationship again. I feel like I need to give you a little breathing room so it doesn't feel like I'm pressuring you in any way."  
  
Elizabeth smiled. Ric was always respectful towards her feelings. "You're so wonderful, and you've been so understanding. It's not fair for you to wait for me."  
  
"I don't want you to have to worry about thinking that time will push me away. Ric replied. " I'll be here when you finally decide what you want to do. My eyes can't possibly wander towards anyone else."  
  
Elizabeth smiled shyly at Ric's comment and took a deep breath. "Ric.there's something I have to tell you." There has been so much stuff spinning around in her head for the past 24 hours and she felt like she was ready to let it all out. "Well.I hung out with Jason last night.and we were having a good time.one thing led to another..and we.kissed." Elizabeth paused and looked up at Ric nervously to see his reaction. He looked disappointed but didn't say anything. "I was a little confused at first when Jason was holding me and when we looked in each other's eyes. But when we kissed.I just knew."  
  
Ric's face fell. He sighed and looked at the floor. He knew what was going to be said next---he was just trying to make sure that he was prepared to hear it. He listened as Elizabeth continued. "When I kissed him and opened my eyes, I realized how disappointed I was to see Jason standing in front of me.and not you. And all I can think of at that moment was how I wished it was you standing in front of me."  
  
Ric looked up. He almost wanted to ask Elizabeth to repeat what she said to make sure that he didn't make-believe what he just heard.  
  
"It seems like we know so little about each other, but I don't think I've met anyone who's ever understood me more than you do. My previous relationships are different than what I have with you. Lucky had saved me during a difficult time in my life. I wouldn't have survived or have the strength I have today if I was never with him. It was the same thing with Jason. He saved me from a point in my life where I just felt trapped and seemed like I had hit rock-bottom. He gave me this chance to feel.free. They helped build me up during times in my life where I felt like I had lost everything. Now, I feel like I've met someone who wants to be with me for me and not because he feels like he has to rescue me. For once, I'm at this point in my life where everything is okay and I don't need anyone to 'save' me. I'm actually comfortable with who I am and I don't need to depend on someone to define me." She took both of Ric hands and they locked their fingers together. She moved a step closer towards him, looked up into his eyes, and was pleased to see the right man looking back at her. "I'm ready to be with you. I've been ready for a while now. I just didn't realize it until last night. I want to be with you.if that's what you still want." She looked up hopefully at Ric and waited for his answer.  
  
Ric bent down to kiss Elizabeth on the forehead. "Believe me, you don't realize how good it feels to hear you say this."  
  
They let go of each other's hands and Elizabeth sat down on one of the counter stools. Being able say all this stuff had made her exhausted. Elizabeth looked at Ric and bit her lip. Ric realized by the look on her face, that she must have more stuff to get off her chest. "What?" he asked.  
  
"You had told me once that by looking at the expressions on my face, you could tell that it was hard for me to hide my feelings. Well, I just want you to know that I watch you when you're with me. There are times when you have this look on your face and I know you're thinking about saying something but you never do. What do you think about?"  
  
Ric leaned against the counter. He had never felt so nervous in his life. What was he supposed to do? Pour his entire heart out to her? .Now?  
  
Elizabeth looked at Ric and saw that same look on his face that she always sees. He was thinking about what he wanted to tell her but wasn't saying it out loud. "Tell you what," Elizabeth said. "I've got stuff to say that I've always wanted to tell you. I'll go first." Ric turned and looked at her and waited for what she was going to say. "Did you know that when I worked with Courtney, I spent most of my shift looking at the clock? Ever since I found out about her and Jason, I would look at the clock and count down the hours I had left before my shift ended with that girl. Before she left town, I realized that I didn't do that anymore, and I can't exactly tell you when I quit doing that. What I can tell you is that I realized I've been counting down the hours of my shift everyday because of you. It seems like I could never stay focused at work anymore because I would be too busy thinking about when I would get to see you again. I think about you so much that I've accidentally called Lucky 'Ric' during a conversation."  
  
Elizabeth motioned Ric to sit on the stool next to her. She faced him and put her hands in his as she continued. "When I see you do the "attorney" things that you do, I'm very impressed. The way you handle the police, the district attorney, Sonny---it's amazing how you hold yourself up. This burst of confidence comes out of you as you talk your way out of situations. It makes you look invincible and it even makes you look arrogant at times." Ric laughed at that remark. ".but it also makes you incredibly sexy. Ric.when I'm with you, and I look at you.I see this side of you that no one else sees. Sometimes, I see you look down at the floor and fidget before saying something to me. It's so cute. The way you speak to me and the things that you say are so sweet. Sometimes, it doesn't matter what you say. The sound of your voice is just so soothing to me. And the way you touch me? Whether it's running your hands through my hair or leaning your forehead against mine.it's so gentle to the point where I forget to breathe. And with the way you kiss me." Elizabeth started to feel herself blushing again. "I get so lost in your kisses that I don't ever want you to stop. And when we do stop.I just anticipate for the next time you decide to kiss me again. What I'm trying to say is 'thank you.' Thank you for sharing this side of you with me." Elizabeth had to stop. She was blushing so much that she laughed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry.I've just been running my mouth non-stop tonight-"  
  
"No, it's alright," Ric responded gently. He stretched out one of his arms and slowly ran his hand down the back of Elizabeth's head. He respected the way Elizabeth was able to say all of those feelings built up inside of her with such ease. He felt like it was only fair for him to do the same thing for her. "Elizabeth.just to hear you laugh puts me at ease, and being around you leaves me speechless. I enjoy every opportunity where I get to be near you..where I can memorize and adore every curve of your face and feel completely blown away when I see you smile at me. And I ask myself..how in the world did I become so lucky to have this beautiful angel smiling at me? What did I do to deserve you?" Elizabeth looked down towards the floor. Ric crouched down to catch her eyes. "All I can say is that I am very honored. Because people with your charm, your strength, and your grace don't just come into my life everyday. I never truly understood fate until now.because fate is the only thing I can think of that could have brought you to me." He paused to catch his breath. At this point he didn't know what else to say.  
  
He sighed and cupped his hands around Elizabeth's flushed cheeks. Elizabeth rested her hands on his wrists and they both just looked at each other for a moment. Ric leaned down and kissed her. Of all of their kisses up to this point, this one was probably the most tender one of them all. And it left them both weak in the knees. 


End file.
